Improvement in brick-machines



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J. S. HOBBS AND LUTHER ELDER, OF WEST FALMOUTH, MAINE.

Letters .Patent No. 98,495, dated January 4, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRICK-MACHINES.

. Tlie Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part ofthe same.

To all whom it may concern.- l v f Be it known that we, J. S.' HoBBsandLUTHER R. ELDER, both of lest Falmouth, in the county of Cumberland, audState of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improved Brick-Machine;and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description thereof, which will enable others. to make and use ourinvention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart ot'- this specification, in which- Figure 1, plate 1, shows afront-end elevation.

Figure 2, the method ofadjusting the tracks.

Figure 3, a detail from the rear end, showing the removable strip.

Figure l, plate 2, shows a side elevation of a p0rtion ofthe machine.

Figure 2, a side elevation of the connection between the main shaft andthe carriage.

Figure 3 shows the method of adjusting the hoisting-chains.

Same letters show like parts.

Our invention relates to certain improvements, hereinafter to beparticularly explained, in a machine for making bricks, and we will trstdisclaim those parts not herein claimed as new, which are common andpreviously known. y

The clayis'ground or pulver-ized in areceptacle, A, by au uprightrevolving spindle, having projecting ra.- dial arms. lhis is notclaimed; neither the box into which the clay is forced from thereceptacle, which box is shown at B; neither the piston C, which forcesthe clay into the moulds, nor the vertical motion of the piston, nor thehorizontal motion of the moulds and their frame; (D shows the mouldsneither, when by itself considered, operating the piston and the mouldsby the main shaft E.

The first improvement claimed in ihisinvention re lates to the box B. v

Stones, stubble, and other articles frequently collect in the box, beingforced in from .the receptacle A, and prevent the proper descent of thepiston, and injure the form and perfection of the bricks in the moulds.When this has been the case heretofore, there has been great trouble inremoving these obstructions, it being necessary, in order to do so, toremove the. crossbeam a, detaching it from lthe upright 1),'in order tolift out the piston C, and thus reach into th'e box B.

We obviate this trouble by means of the trap or door c in the front sideofthe box B.I lhis door is secured by the 'four-armed catch (l, the endsof said arms working in the staples or clamps c. These four arms are soar1anged, as will be seen from the drawings, that when any one of thefour is either entered or thrown out of its staple or clamp, each: ofthe others is also The next improvement is the spring-scraper F, at.

tached to the lower part, of the box B by the spirals f, and by themkept pressed down upon the top of the ,moulds D. By this arrangement,every time the carriage is drawn ont for the purpose of removing a setof moulds, with the brick therein, all loose clay, &c.,

on the top thereof, is readily scraped olf, without involving thenecessity. of 'its being done, as is usual, by a workman, with a stickheld in the hand. The carriage is represented'thus drawn out in tig. 1,plate 2. The carriage, as it is drawn backward and forward, moves onrollers y. f

Motion is given to theY carriage from the main shaft E. rI his shaft isrevolved by the lever G. From this main'shaft rise the bifurcated armsh, into which are hinged, at t', the ,connecting-rods j, which rods arealso hinged to the bottom of the carriage at k.

llshows the carriage.

As the shaft E is partially revolved by the lever G in one direction,the carriage H is drawn forward; and as the lever G is pushed back, thecarriage also moves back, as common.

The purpose of the arrangement shown in iig. 2, plate'2,'is to make thedraught upon the carriage H as nearly horizontal as possible. Then it isat all downward, as has heretofore been the case in such machines, thenthe joint between the bottom of the box B and.' the moulds D, becomes soloose that the clay, when pressure is applied, oozes out, and the bricksare consequently imperfect.

The trucks g, ofthe carriage H, revolve on the tracks l, set on thebeams m at the front, and m at the rear end of the machine. 'lhese beamsrest on the crossbeams of the machine, which are shown in the rear, atn., g. 2, plate 1.

-. In use, these tracks are aptlto sink rso much, that.

the moulds D drop below the box B, so that the operation ofthe machineis very defective.

Te obviate this liability by means of the screws o, 4

with, which the beams m. can be raised or lowered, as required, and thusthe carriage H which rests on lthese. beam's. of the machine, butsimilar devices are applied at the front end, so that the two ends ofthe track can be raised equally.

The piston in the box B is raised when the Alever G is thrown forward,by means ofthe chains L passing up over the pulleys M, and hooked on toa cross-bar,` at p, from which cross-bar rise the vertical pieces b,

and. thus the piston is raised as the cross-bar p rises,

the pieces b being attached to the piston, as shown.

These chains are apt to lengthen in use, from vari Fig. 2, plate 1,showsthose at the rear end ous causes, as wearing, &c., and, heretofore, theyhave been adjusted in a very rude manner,`as by attaching them by aspike to the main shaft, which injures the machine, and is, besides, animperfectmethod.

We obviate this diiculty, as shown in fig. 3,- plate 2, where a movablesegment-gear is represented as attached to the chain, and Aalso asfitting or matching another segmental gear rigidly attached to the mainshaft.

` When the chain has become lengthened, the diiiculty is overcome byremoving the pin or bolt q, and drawing back the. movable segmentsufficiently to tighten the chain, and then allowing it to engageanother portion of the fixed segment. Y By replacing the bolt, themovable gea-r will be. held iirmly to its place. Heretofore, the pistonG has been made of wood, and in consequence, has worn against the box,so as to be imperfect in its operation. This we obviate by attachingtothe piston and the inside of the box, sheets or facings of metal,which facings run up on the back side of the piston, as shown at r. Thismetal facing protectsthe piston from wear, and enables it'to-work moreperfectly, and also diminishes the friction, and consequently the laborof operating.

We would here specify that we do not claim, broadly, facing with metaltwo surfaces which workby each other, but only in its application tothis machine. At the rear of the machine is shown the removable piece R,fig. 3, plate 1. I n this are the slots s andthe square-headed buttonst. When these buttons t are turned, `so that they are lengthwise ot' theslots, the piece R can be removed. When crosswise of the slots, it isheld in place. This removable piece R is for the purpose of facilitatingthe repairing, examination, or

adjustment of any part of the interior ofv the receptacle A. j

T shows the pedal, by which the piston is forced down into the box B. e

We do not claim the devices set forth in the patent of Henry Martin,reissue No. 2,553, April 9,1867. We do not' claim the method ofregulating the rise and fall of' the plungeras therein shown. Neither dowe claim the manner ot' working the plunger as therein shown. 'lhedevice shown in iig. 3, plate 2, has t'or its purpose simply to providefor the stretching of the cord or chain, as hereinbefore set forth.Neither do we claim the devices set forth in the patent of D. Packard,January 19,1869, which consists of a rod, lever, plunger, bar,cam-wheel, and treadle to raise the plunger, and to press the same. Ourdevice is not employed for such purpose, but solely' for the onehereinbefore specified. Neither do we claim providing a press-box with ayielding gate, or constructing the bottom of the press-box withgrate-bars of a lozlengefshape, as in the patentof W. Baker and G.Martin, May 1, 1866, No. 54,460. Neither do we claim an adjustablepusher, applied to a table, to move the mould-boxes from the rear to thefront ot' the' table, or rack-bars, oscillating sectors, andpit-mamconnected with the main shaft, as is shown in the patent of D.Van Vranken, June 19, 1866, No. 55,748.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1,. The spring-scraper F, arranged to operate as described.

2. The segment-gears on the shaft E, with the pin i q and chains L, asherein described.

3. The mould-box, made as herein described, that is, having thespring-scraper and the removable strip in the front thereof, having thefour-armed clasp,as

herein set forth. Y

J. S. HOBBS. LUTHER R. ELDER.

Witnesses:

ELLERY H. STARBIRD, WILLARD B. STARBIRD.

